Technology, Internet & Telecoms Group
The Inside Story of King
Thursday 22 March 2018
06:30 pm to 09:30 pm
The Ampersand Building, Wardour Street, London, United Kingdom
This event is sponsored by King
King (formerly King.com) is one of the greatest success stories of European technology and entrepreneurship: today it is a company with 2,000 employees and about $2bn in revenues. After raising $35m of venture financing in 2005, it became the largest tech IPO out of Europe when it floated on the New York Stock Exchange in a $7.25bn IPO. In 2016 it was bought by Activision for $5.9bn in cash.
Stephane Kurgan (MBA 96J) has been Chief Operating Officer of King for a large part of this journey and has witnessed the “eye-of-the-tornado” growth of the company. He will share, in a rare interview, his professional and personal experiences from working in such an amazing organisation answering questions like: What was most difficult? What was most enjoyable? How can one cope with the time pressure? What keeps you going in the most intense times? Which people helped you the most?
It will be a unique opportunity to hear the inside story of King.
Stephane Kurgan has served as King’s Chief Operating Officer since April 2011. He has more than 25 years of management experience at high-growth technology businesses. Prior to joining King, Stephane served as the Chief Financial Officer at Tideway Systems Ltd., a data centre management software company that was acquired by BMC Software, Inc. He has also served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of enba plc, held various sales and product management roles at Bureau van Dijk Electronic Publishing BV and was a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Stephane has served as a member of the Board of Directors of HK Ltd since 2006 and previously served on the Board of Directors of Lasker Fund LP and Gladstone Capital Management LLP until December 2012. Stephane holds a B.A. in Economics from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, a Diploma in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University SAIS School, Italy and an MBA from INSEAD, France. Papa Pear Saga is the only King game where Stephane is remotely ahead of his wife.
VENUE King
The Ampersand Building, 178 Wardour Street, London W1F 8FY
Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road or Oxford Circus
TIME 18:30 for 19:00
COST Members £25 / Members’ guests £35
REFRESHMENTS Wine and canapés
For more information on NAA events, please refer to https://my.insead.edu/event/calendar
